Three Little Kittens
by sughar
Summary: Tsukishima Kei despises children, but he nearly despises his job even more. "You know, with how good you are with kids, you seem better suited to be helping me out here than working under Akaashi in that boring music shop." Of course, he was joking. Yet when Kuroo looked at Kei's face, he saw an expression that made it look as if Kei took him seriously. AU KuroTsuki.
1. Chapter 1

_'You were a child, crawling on your knees toward it. Making momma so proud, but your voice is too loud-'_

Kei shifted, pulling out his phone and skipping to the next song. It was a habit; he was too impatient to listen to a full song. An Arctic Monkeys song began to blare in Kei's ears and he put his phone back down. That would keep him satisfied for another 45 seconds.

The small music shop was mostly deserted except for the one or two people aimlessly walking through the CD aisles. It was a quiet job, most of the time Kei liked it that way. But the rest of the time… A sigh escaped the blonde's lips as his eyes skimmed over the room.

 _How boring._

"If you're so bored then try maybe interacting with the customers. It would help with sales."

Kei glanced up at his boss before rolling his eyes. It was unnerving at first how Keiji was always able to read his mind. At this point, though, Kei was just used to it.

Pulling off his headphones, Kei retorted back, "It's the opposite, really. If you're expecting me to commission, then our sales will just plummet down into the negatives."

It was Keiji's turn to roll his eyes.

"Listen, kid-"

"Don't call me 'kid', Akaashi. You're just a year older."

" _Tsukishima-_ "

" _What?_ "

Keiji frowned. "Okay, listen. If you hate your job so much then why are you still here? There's a bunch of desperate assholes who'll willingly take your place."

Heaving another sigh, Kei stood up from his seat and stretched his arms. Why _was_ he sticking around? As stated earlier, the peace and quiet was nice. Kei didn't like too much human interaction anyway. He guessed it wasn't the best situation if he only ended up seeing three customers maximum a day. Sometimes it was less. Other than that and being a music lover himself, Kei didn't have much of a mandatory reason to stay.

"I need the money?" Kei furrowed his eyebrows. It sounded more like he was asking himself than anything.

"There are other jobs available," Keiji stated, giving his both employee and friend a small shrug. At least he considered Kei a friend. That was probably why he was putting such an effort in convincing the blonde into finding better work.

"It doesn't matter. I'm fine working here, and that's that." Kei narrowed his eyes. "You shouldn't be complaining if I decide to still work for you. There aren't _that_ many desperate idiots." He pulled his headphones back over his ears and leaned back against the counter.

Keiji was about to say more before he hesitated, then gave up altogether.

"I guess."

Golden brown eyes watched Keiji retreat back into his office. Kei noticed his boss' concern, but he really didn't want to fuss over something that wasn't necessary.

 _'There are other jobs available.'_

Kei clicked his tongue.

This wasn't the first time Keiji tried to press Kei into looking for another job. It wasn't the first time he thought about it himself, either. A new job sounded nice, but the blonde couldn't bother to put in the effort. If Kei did decide to leave, he had no idea what else he wanted to do anyway. His job at the music shop was perfectly fine.

A small bell jingled as the door opened and a tall, attractive man stepped in with a relaxed but focused expression.

Kei's breath hitched in his throat when he made eye contact with sharp, cat-like pupils.

Yeah, his job was _perfectly_ fine.

"Hey, do you sell children's CDs here?"

"Wh-wha-?"

Kei blinked, shaking his head. He was so surprised that he didn't catch what the guy asked for. When he caught his composure and looked up, it quickly slipped away as fast as he regained it. The handsome customer now stood on the other side of the counter, giving Kei a curious look.

"Children's CDs. You know… CDs with things like nursery rhymes and all that fun stuff?"

Raising a brow (he didn't look as sarcastic as he wanted to, his face was still a bright pink), Kei pointed over to the other side of the store.

The guy turned to glance over where Kei was gesturing before turning back and sending a cheeky grin. "Alright, thanks pal."

Kei let his eyes trail after him. He scowled before burying his face in his arms. That was ridiculous, Kei _felt_ ridiculous. How could he let himself slip so easily like that? Especially in the likes of _that guy_. That sly grin flashed in his head.

Lifting his head, Kei frowned as his eyes landed on the back of whatever-his-name-is. He couldn't care less. The blonde skimmed over the man's appearance, taking in all the details. The first thing he noticed was his hair. It was black and looked like an utter mess. Kei's frown deepened, wondering if the guy even made an attempt to brush his hair. It looked like he just got out of bed.

The inspection of the nameless customer continued until Kei realized he was headed back his way, a couple of CDs in his hands. They made eye contact and Kei immediately looked away with a huff.

 _Maybe he did… kind of care about who he was._

"You don't really have a wide selection on this stuff, but I guess this will do," the guy said, giving a small grin. "I found what I was looking for but for everything else... I'm not really picky, so."

Kei gave the CDs placed in front of him a quizzical look, glancing up at the customer with the same expression.

"Well, this music shop's kind of obscure. We sell a lot of indie music, majority selected by the workers here."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, and none of us are really into 'Wheels on The Bus' and 'Mary Had A Little Lamb'."

The guy scowled. "Mary Had A Little Lamb is a classic and a damn good one at that. What's wrong with it?"

"Do I look like a four year old to you?" Kei will admit... he was thinking this guy was attractive as hell, but his music taste was _literally_ childish.

The man rolled his eyes in response, pulling out his wallet. "Okay sourpuss… Just let me buy my CDs so I can head out and you won't have to be reminded of your dark childhood or whatever's got your panties in a twist." He placed down a 20 dollar bill and gave Kei an amused look.

Kei scoffed. "I'm more bothered by your immature taste in music rather than my 'dark childhood', you know. Here's your change, _Mary_." That made the other's expression widen into another mischievous grin.

"I'll have you know that these CDs are in high demand lately!" He waved them in Kei's face before heading to the door. "But thanks for humoring me, little lamb."

Kei blushed, giving the customer an incredulous look.

"Don't call me that! Do I look little to you?" The blonde crossed his arms, looking away. "The only demand for those right now is coming from you."

"Hey, Kuroo? What are you doing here?"

Kei snapped up, turning to look where the voice came from.

The mischievous customer apparently named 'Kuroo' looked up, the playful grin of his widening.

"Akaashi!" Kuroo walked up to Kei's boss, giving him a big slap on the back. "So this is the place you work at, huh?"

Keiji frowned, pushing away Kuroo's hand. "I've told you the name of this store several times. Didn't you read the sign before coming in?"

"I just saw the records in the window and decided to check it out."

"You're ridiculous…"

Kei watched from his spot behind the cash register. He was a little surprised that Keiji was familiar with the guy, but then again Keiji had several connections to a wide array of people.

"I've just been going through a shit ton of music places but for some reason nowhere but here had an album with 'Three Little Kittens' on its track list, okay?" Kuroo pouted. "How is it so hard to find? That nursery rhyme is golden!"

"You're the only grown man I'll ever hear that from," Keiji muttered, pushing Kuroo towards the door. "Look, it's almost closing time. You live pretty far from here so _shoo_. I don't want to hear about you fooling around outside so late all because of a family-friendly track list."

Kuroo chuckled, waving off Keiji. "Okay, okay." He paused before leaving, sending a smirk towards Kei.

"See you around, little lamb."

The entry bell jingled followed by the sound of the door closing shut. Keiji watched Kuroo board his motorcycle and drive away before giving his friend a questioning stare.

"Little lamb?" Keiji raised an eyebrow, holding back a small laugh. "Wow, Tsukishima. You took me seriously when I told you to interact with the customers, hm?"

Kei fumbled with the headphones around his neck, his face turning red. This was embarrassing. This day at work was embarrassing and it was because of that cheeky little _fuck_ , Kuroo. Kei sputtered a bit, trying to regain his cool and composed attitude but it wasn't convincing Keiji.

"Sh-shut up, okay?!" Kei snapped finally. "I don't know what that guy's problem is! Out of all your stupid connections, he's the worst and most idiotic one of them all."

Keiji snorted, turning away from Kei when he was sent a sharp glare.

"You're not wrong, at least," Keiji said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kuroo's been a friend of Bokuto and I. We've known each other since highschool, and really... he's always been like that."

Kei sighed, leaning on the counter.

"He seems like a handful, I don't know why you kept him around," Kei said. He moved out from behind the checkout area, walking past Keiji to go get his stuff.

Crossing his arms, Keiji followed slowly behind the blonde. "Well, yeah he is... but he's not that bad of a guy. He's kinda like Bokuto, just a more toned down version." Keiji wasn't going to deny Kei, but he wanted to defend his friend in some way or another. Kuroo really wasn't as bad as Kei was making him seem. Sure, he was a mischievous guy (a kind of guy Kei is definitely annoyed by), but he was pretty loyal and wasn't too bad for company.

Kei grabbed his bag from his locker, shutting it closed and again walking past Keiji just as he entered the room.

"I don't want to be associated with any sort of version of Bokuto. One is enough."

"Well, maybe he'll come around again and you guys can talk. Warm up to him a little," Keiji responded. He watched Kei open the door to head out.

"Thanks for the suggestion, Akaashi, but I'm not interested in idiots like him."

Kei was about to leave when he hesitated, remembering those piercing copper eyes and that playful grin that perhaps at some point made Kei's heart skip a beat.

"Tsukishi-?"

"What was his name again?"

"Huh?" Keiji's eyes widened in surprise before answering, "Oh, uh, Kuroo Tetsurou."

Kei nodded slowly before he gave a small wave and headed home. He tried to go over the words of the Three Little Kittens, remembering the tune but the lyrics were vague in his mind. Scoffing when he realized what he was doing, Kei shook it off and continued on his way.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hello, hello.**

 **I hope you guys like it so far. I'll probably be posting the second chapter today, as well. It'll get a little more into the plot then.**

 **Leave me a review on what you guys think so far, and on what you guys think of Kuroo's "interesting music taste".**

 **See you.**


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Kei had the Three Little Kittens down to memory. The first verse, at least. He managed to get the tune stuck in his head by the time he arrived home and immediately searched it up, hoping that if he heard it once or twice it would go away. Curse nursery rhymes for actually _rhyming_. That was Kei's both weakness and strong point as a child; his mother always rhymed to help him remember things.

Now as he was doing his laundry, Kei caught himself humming the song and quickly hit his head against the washing machine. A groan slipped from his lips instead of the catchy tune.

"This is ridiculous..." Kei muttered to himself, rubbing the sore spot on his forehead.

As Kei got up, he heard his phone ringing from the other room and moved to go answer it. Checking the caller ID, he answered the phone with a frown on his face.

"What do you want?"

" _Keeeeiiii!_ " A voice whined from the speaker. Kei heaved a sigh, lifting the phone away from his ear. Why was his brother so loud all the time?

" _What do you want?_ " Kei snapped one more time.

"I don't even get a 'Good afternoon, Akiteru!' or a 'How have you been, Nii-san?'. Why are you always so cold to me, Kei?"

Rolling his eyes, Kei walked back to the laundry room to finish his chores. He knew Akiteru wanted something from him, some sort of dumb favor that Kei never wanted to do. If Akiteru really wanted to catch up with him, he would find him already at his door. Phone calls were always the first hint, and Kei wonders why he even answers. In the end, he was always forced to comply and he had a bad feeling it wouldn't be any different this time.

"It's because you're annoying," Kei replied in a blunt tone.

"Okay, fair enough! But listen-"

"I'm not doing anything for you, okay?" Kei decided it was a good idea to just stop his brother before it could go any further. "Today's my only day off this weekend because I have to work a half day tomorrow. I'm not in the mood to do any of your work for you. No more favors."

Another whine was his response.

"It's actually important this time, Kei!"

"That's what you say every time."

Kei shut the washing machine, pushing in the settings then pressing start. He leaned against the appliance, feeling the vibration against his back as he waited for Akiteru to explain whatever it was that was so "important".

"It's about Aoi!"

A loud slam echoed throughout Kei's apartment followed by a yelp. Kei hissed, falling to the ground and holding his foot. He wasn't usually an impulsive person (kicking the wall was something he _especially_ didn't do) but this crossed the line.

"Kei? What happened?!"

"Akiteru, goddammit!" Kei groaned. "You know I hate kids!"

"Isn't Aoi an exception? Come on, please!"

"She's the only kid I can _barely_ tolerate. Most of the time, she's still annoying." Kei got over the pain. He adjusted his glasses and slowly stood back up, wincing slightly.

Kei despised kids. They were loud, irrational, and just plain annoying. Children were pathetic and never had any common sense. Kei tried to avoid them at all costs, but since his brother had his kid, he's been roped into doing a lot more favors involving little Aoi.

"Hey, you can't say that about my daughter! Alright, okay... Look, I've been stuck in traffic!" Akiteru tried to reason over the phone. "I was supposed to pick up Aoi twenty minutes ago from a daycare I sent her to today because both me and Chiharu had important work to do. "

"It's Chiharu and I."

"... Excuse me?"

"It's 'Chiharu and _I_ ' not ' _me_ and Chi-"

All of a sudden, Kei felt a chill run up his spine.

"Are you sassing your big brother right now, Kei?" Akiteru's voice twisted into an ominous tone. Kei clicked his tongue. He hates to admit it, but when Akiteru went into authoritive mode, it was actually pretty threatening. It makes him seem more like the older brother he actually is.

"N-no..." Kei sighed. "Okay, _fine_. I'm assuming you want me to pick her up myself or something? Dammit."

Akiteru's voice immediately went back to its usual cheerful tone and Kei loathed it. "That's exactly what I want you to do! You're a lot closer to the place, Kei... Ah! Also um, _another thing_..."

Kei growled. There was always another condition.

* * *

After quickly changing and making sure everything was clean, Kei left for the address Akiteru gave him. The blonde ran out the apartment building, jogging up to the bus stop right as it arrived.

When Kei boarded the vehicle, all passengers suddenly moved out of the way. The atmosphere around Kei was dark and his deep scowl and the glare in his eyes only made him more intimidating. He threw himself down into an open seat (that a nearby passenger immediately gave up when they made eye contact with the terror himself) and growled, muttering to himself as he looked out the window. He pulled his headphones over his ears in hopes that no one would bother him throughout the ride.

Not only did Kei have to give up time on his day off to go pick up Aoi, but Akiteru somehow convinced him to let the little girl stay with him for the night. Kei wasn't sure for the life of him how his brother managed to push through with the request, but Kei ended up begrudgingly setting up the guest room in his apartment before heading out. It was a hassle and Kei knew he was getting back at Akiteru for this in the future.

Almost twenty minutes later, Kei got off at the bus stop nearby the address where Aoi was located. He huffed, hurrying his pace as went to look for the house. Why did Akiteru have his daughter go somewhere so far? Even if there wasn't any traffic, his brother would have been late no matter what.

Kei stopped, looking around. Now that he thought about it, he's never been to this area of the city. He glanced down at the rushed writing on the back of his hand. Looking back up, Kei caught sight of a nearby street sign, realizing that he wasn't too far from the place after all.

After searching for five more minutes, Kei found himself at the door step of a small townhouse.

High pitched yelling was heard from inside and Kei's scowl returned.

 _Children were terrible._

Kei hesitated before rapping on the wooden door in front of him. He caught another voice in the fray, a voice that sounded vaguely familiar and a little annoying-

"Hey, sorry. Kids, you know-?"

When the door opened, Kei's suspicions were answered and he kind of wished they were answered differently. There stood the mischievous customer from the music shop yesterday, Kuroo Tetsurou, in all his abominable glory.

"Yeah," Kei spat. "Kids, _I know_."

In the background of the home, Kei caught the familiar tune of the Three Little Kittens playing. A cynical smile made its way upon Kei's face. He chuckled almost teasingly, giving Kuroo a snide look. "And all this time, I thought you genuinely enjoyed The Wheels on The Bus."

Kuroo awkwardly shifted in the door frame, a sheepish sort of smile on his face. That caught Kei by surprise for a second. A flustered smile like that was a big contrast to Kuroo's usual impish grin.

"Uhh... yeah," Kuroo mumbled, looking everywhere but at Kei. "This isn't how I wanted to run into you again."

"Me neither," Kei replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "In fact, I didn't plan to ever run into you again, _Mary_."

Kuroo chuckled, finally glancing at the blonde. Kei's sarcastic humor seemed to make him relax, but little did he know that Kei probably wasn't joking.

"I would've hoped you knew my name by now." Kuroo sighed, pouting. "Did Akaashi not tell you about me?"

"Oh, Akaashi informed me. He didn't inform me about... this, though."

Kuroo quickly looked behind him, probably checking on the kids inside. "Uh, right... Yeah, I run a... a daycare..." Kei narrowed his eyes, gazing at Kuroo questioningly. The way he said 'daycare' was odd, as if he despised the way the word felt on his tongue. Kei couldn't blame him, if that was the case.

"So..." Kuroo started, catching Kei's attention again. "What are you doing here? I've been expecting someone for a while now, but it definitely wasn't you."

Kei frowned, giving a small shrug. "Akiteru wanted me to pick up Aoi because he's been stuck in traffic. I'm his brother." Kuroo leaned in closer to Kei's face, and now it was his turn to be flustered. He quickly backed away.

"What?"

"Haru's husband, right? Ah, yep," Kuroo flashed his iconic grin. "You definitely look similar to that guy."

"You know Chiharu?" Kei asked skeptically, the nickname 'Haru' making him suspicious.

Kuroo waved his hand nonchalantly as he leaned against the door frame. "Oh yeah," he answered. "Chiharu went to highschool with Akaashi, Bokuto, and I. Apparently she doesn't usually bring precious Aoi to daycares, but I guess today was really hectic. So she called me up and asked if I could do it, since Haru doesn't seem to trust anyone else to watch her kid."

The proper grammar compared to Akiteru's made Kei smile a bit in amusement, more to himself than anything.

"Okay, well, hand her over."

"Huh?"

Kei rolled his eyes. "I'm not here to listen to the rest of your life story. Where's Aoi?"

Kuroo's eyes widened then he relaxed, sending the blonde a laid-back smile. "Aw, come on. Where's the rush, little lamb?"

Gritting his teeth, Kei gave the other an impatient look. He had no time for small talk. All Kei wanted was to leave this place and get the night over with so he could get rid of Aoi already. Kuroo kept smiling and it was really ticking Kei off. Yet, he still couldn't help but look away when he realized how intently he was being gazed at.

"Stop calling me that."

"Well, you don't seem to got any other name."

Ah, right. Kei never gave his name yet here he is knowing almost full well who Kuroo Tetsurou was. To be honest, he wasn't planning on giving his name and he was hoping he would never have to... But, little lamb? Kei grimaced slightly causing Kuroo to raise an eyebrow in question.

"Tsukishima..." Kei muttered.

Now Kuroo raised both his eyebrows, leaning his ear towards the blonde.

"Pardon?"

"My name's Tsukishima Kei, you idiot," Kei snapped.

A little smirk graced Kuroo's face, making Kei regret being so forward.

"Tsuki, hm?" Kuroo chuckled. "You do kind of remind me of the moon." Kei rolled his eyes again.

"Look, where's Aoi? I'm starting to think you're a shady babysitter."

"I'm offended. I love kids but I wouldn't do anything shady to them. I run a daycare, I swear on it!"

Kuroo's admittance to his appreciation of children made Kei go back to pondering the weird way he said 'daycare' earlier.

"I don't care either way."

"Alright, alright." Kuroo gave in, lifting his hands in surrender. "She's inside, just come in."

Kei gave the other a wry smile.

"No, thanks."

"Oh come on, I don't do anything shady to kids and I definitely won't do anything shady to you." Kuroo smiled a little. "Unless you want me to~"

"You're disgusting." Kei deadpanned. "I don't like kids. I'm not going into your infected household."

"You act like kids are a disease," Kuroo pointed out amusingly.

"They may very well be." Kei paused, quickly adding in, "In my opinion, at least." He was polite enough. Kei didn't want to offend Kuroo, or anything.

Kuroo chuckled.

"Look I'm not asking you to have a play date with the kids, but little Aoi inside won't finish her food. I already tried to persuade her by saying she can do nothing until she eats her meal."

"Oh?" Kei raised a brow. At least Kuroo was a responsible caretaker.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you know your bro's kid a lot better than I ever will," Kuroo said, giving the other a pleading look. "Can't you help me out? There's only three other kids in here. It'll make everything a lot quicker if you give me a hand."

He was getting back at Akiteru, alright. Kei clenched his fists as he took a deep breath. He couldn't believe he was roped into all this. Here he is, standing on the doorstep of the _irritatingly_ good looking customer from yesterday, finding out that he's a goddamn _babysitter_ , and now the idiot wants help to feed a child that isn't even _his_.

"You're the child expert here," Kei spat. "You own this daycare, you're responsible. You should be able to do it yourself. Are you even a registered caretaker?"

Kei caught Kuroo's hesitant facial expression before he answered, "Of course I am!" That's suspicious.

"Fine, I'll come in."

"Aw shit, thanks!" Kuroo exclaimed, immediately moving out of the way to let Kei enter.

"You shouldn't be swearing so openly when you're surrounded by children," Kei said, slipping off his shoes. "You really are an idiot."

They stepped into the living room, and Kei already felt his eye twitching. Two pairs of wide eyes were directly on him and he could feel the brats judging him. Kids were too observant for their age, Kei was thinking as he nudged Kuroo to keep moving.

"Look, let's not take our sweet time here," Kei muttered. "I don't need stupid introductions-"

"Hibiki, Hikaru, this is Tsuki!" Kuroo said excitedly towards the two children sitting in front of the television.

Kei glared at Kuroo from the corner of his eyes, growing more annoyed by the second. "What did you just call me? Don't call me that!" Kuroo leaned in to whisper in Kei's ear, making his face redden. This was embarrassing. They were standing in front of some kids too.

"Would you rather I introduce you as little lamb~?" Kuroo whispered. Kei pushed him away.

"I don't want you introducing me at all!"

"Tetsu-nii, is Tsuki here to take care of us too?" one of the children asked curiously. He looked like the older of the two. Messy black hair and rich copper eyes- the kid looked almost like Kuroo.

"He's not my brother, by the way," Kuroo stated to Kei, not looking him in the eye. The blonde eyed him skeptically. Kuroo had a soft smile on his face and he was gazing at the little boy with an almost _too_ caring expression to be appropriate for someone who was merely running a daycare. "Uh no, not really, Hibiki."

Kei glanced at the small girl seated beside Hibiki. He assumed she happened to be Hikaru. Hikaru seemed a lot quieter, contentedly gazing at both him and Kuroo. It unnerved Kei slightly how much she was looking at him. He felt nearly _vulnerable_ , but that was pathetic to think. Especially to a child, of all people.

Hikaru looked back at the screen, swaying back and forth slightly. She began to sing along to the song playing in the background. Kei noticed Three Little Kittens had been playing on repeat ever since he arrived.

"Let's go," Kuroo said, tugging on Kei's sleeve.

They walked into what Kei could only assume to be the kitchen, and there seated at the dining table was little Aoi.

"Aoi, what are you doing?" Kei snapped in exasperation. "We have to get going. You knew Papa was supposed to pick you up a long time ago yet you're still taking your time."

Kuroo turned to give Kei a surprised albeit amused look, hearing the word 'Papa' coming from the irritated blonde. Kei said he disliked kids, but he didn't seem too harsh when communicating with them. Kuroo wasn't going to complain, it was better than acting like an absolute asshole to innocent children.

"Kai!" Aoi shrieked happily, jumping out of her seat to run towards him. She latched onto Kei's leg, and Kuroo held in a laugh as he watched him try to subtly shake the little girl off.

"You little brat, my name's Kei. Not Kai." Kei grunted, leaning down to lift Aoi off. He held her above his head, giving her an annoyed but slightly amused expression. "Kuroo told me that you're not eating like you're supposed to."

"Kai, I hate peas!" Aoi whined, wriggling in Kei's grasp.

"And I hate waiting, Aoi, now hurry up. Papa always told you not to waste food." He placed the girl down, pushing her back towards the table. "Look, you don't even have that much left, for Pete's sake." Aoi gave a little huff, climbing back into her seat. She refused to look at her nearly empty plate.

Kuroo walked up behind Kei. "You know, if you're in a hurry, it's fine to let her off this once-"

"Aoi, you listen to me," Kei said in a surprisingly gentle tone of voice, "you need food to grow. Look how tiny you are, it's pathetic. How are you ever going to reach Papa and I's height?"

This wasn't what Kuroo expected when Kei said he hated kids. He expected him to shout and scold, forcing the little girl to rush and finish. Kuroo almost expected Aoi to cry at some point. Kei was treating his niece with such a kind nature that he wondered if this was the same guy that was on his doorstep five minutes ago. Kuroo decided to back off for a little bit, leaving to check on the other kids.

"Tetsu-nii!" Hibiki greeted when he spotted Kuroo stepping into the room. "Why did you bring that lanky guy home?"

Kuroo frowned, leaning down to flick Hibiki's forehead. He got a small whine in response.

"I didn't bring him home, Hibiki. He's here to pick up Aoi," Kuroo explained. "And stop calling me 'nii'."

"Do you really run a daycare?" Hikaru suddenly spoke up. Kuroo looked at her, eyebrows furrowing. She didn't turn away from the TV, but he knew her full attention was on him. He looked at the ceiling with a sigh.

"... Yeah, I do."

Kuroo caught the sound of whimpers coming from the kitchen. He told the two that he would return before quickly making his way back. Maybe Kei did manage to make his niece cry. Kuroo snorted at the thought, rolling his eyes.

When he walked in, another surprise greeted him. Kei stood in the middle of the kitchen, bouncing Aoi in his arms. The four year old was sniveling, hiding her face in the crook of the blonde's neck.

"Shhhh..." Kei whispered, rubbing her back. "Let's go, okay? Papa said you get to stay over for the night, so stop crying, okay?"

Kuroo leaned on the door frame, quietly watching the scene in front of him. Kei still looked irritated, but he could tell the guy was trying his best to be gentle with Aoi.

"You made her cry?" Kuroo finally spoke up.

Kei's eyes widened, turning to glare at the other. "No, I didn't," he snapped in a hushed voice. "Aoi gets headaches when she whines or cries too much. It doesn't help that she cries even more once she gets it."

"You're pretty good with kids despite what you said earlier," Kuroo commented.

A silence followed, the only sounds being Aoi's soft blubbering and the Three Little Kittens continuing to play on repeat in the other room.

"I might be," Kei replied, "but that doesn't mean I don't find kids gross."

Kuroo rolled his eyes at Kei's immature wording. He wasn't going to retort back, in fact, he was pretty pleased to be able to see Kei like this. It was a sweet sight, something Kuroo assumed not many people get to see very often if not at all.

"That's okay," Kuroo whispered. "I'll go get Aoi's stuff."

Kei was back on Kuroo's doorstep, now with his niece in tow. Aoi's face was red and blotchy from crying but she appears to have calmed down from her fit earlier, the headache seems to have disappeared as well. Kuroo smiled at Kei, handing him Aoi's small yellow backpack.

"You know, with how good you are with kids," Kuroo started, "you seem better suited to be helping me out here than working under Akaashi in that boring music shop." Of course, he was joking. It didn't seem likely that Kei would want to work several days a week looking after the one thing he despised. Yet when Kuroo looked at Kei's face, he saw an expression that made it look as if Kei took him seriously.

Looking away, Kei bit his lip. He glanced down at Aoi as he tightened his grip on her hand.

"I'm... I'm not interested," Kei replied.

"I assumed," Kuroo said, chuckling. He squat down to eye level with Aoi, a bright smile on his face.

"Bye bye, Aoi!" he chirped. "You were rad today." Kuroo held his hand out for a high five, Aoi returning it after a bit of hesitation.

Kei gazed at Kuroo, his eyes filled with mixed feelings. He knew the other was kidding, but for some reason Kei was considering the suggestion with complete seriousness. He knew it was a stupid job offer; it would be ridiculous for him to leave his... _satisfactory_ job at the music shop for a babysitting job, of all things. Kei reminded himself how much he loathed children, and how uncomfortable he was under Hibiki and Hikaru's gazes. At the same time, another thought crossed his mind.

 _It wasn't that bad_.

Golden brown eyes met cat-like, copper ones and Kei's heart skipped a beat. He huffed, looking away.

 _You're being ridiculous_.

"Let's go, Aoi," Kei said, tugging on her arm as he turned away. "We have to catch the bus."

After saying goodbye, Kuroo shut the door and Kei and Aoi began to make their way to the bus stop. Aoi skipped alongside the blonde looking much happier than she did ten minutes ago. It confused Kei how quickly a child's mood can change.

Aoi held tight onto Kei's finger (her hand was too small to hold his much larger one) and she soon began to hum. Kei recognized it as the Three Little Kittens tune that he's been hearing all day long. He hesitated for a bit before he quietly began to hum along.

 _You're definitely being ridiculous, but this really isn't all that bad._

* * *

 **Oh ho ho ho.**

 **We're getting much more into the plot now. I'm probably going to try to write the third chapter tonight, maybe I'll upload it then but most likely it will be tomorrow. It's a weekend right now and I have lots of spare time, so.**

 **I also made up Akiteru's wife. I originally... kind of wanted to make it Saeko... but yeah, I couldn't think of a reason why Kuroo would know someone who was pretty older on casual terms. Oh well.**

 **But yeah! Favorites and follows would be super great if you like the story! Also drop a review if you feel like it. See you next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

The night was a stressful one for Kei. He realized that dealing with kids wasn't so hard, but that didn't mean he didn't totally _loathe_ it.

Aoi whined for the rest of the day, wanting to do a variety of completely different things that Kei ultimately did not want to do. She wanted to have a snack at first (where Kei scolded her for being hungry because she didn't finish her food back at Kuroo's) and he complied, until she began to get picky and Kei just lost it, telling her to eat whatever she could find in the kitchen. That led to Aoi eating a whole box of frozen dinosaur nuggets she found in the freezer (note that they were definitely frozen) and Kei having to comfort her upset stomach throughout the night.

Other than that, Aoi kept begging him to read to her or play pretend with her. They eventually settled for watching a movie, Kei's condition being that he got to pick. Aoi fell asleep on the blonde's lap around the middle of 'Dinosaur' with him soon following suit and that concluded their night together.

Kei gently shoved his niece out the door right as Akiteru arrived the next morning. He wanted both of them gone already.

"Thank you so much!" Akiteru exclaimed, ignoring Kei's subtle attempts at making him leave. "You're such a great brother."

"You'd be a decent brother yourself if you could just leave already-"

With a light pat on the back, Akiteru was already walking back down the hall together with Aoi.

"If I ever need someone to watch Aoi again, I'll definitely come to you!"

Kei gawked at his brother's retreating figure. A loud sigh emitted from the blonde due to his growing pique. He didn't comprehend how he's dealt with Akiteru throughout the past 23 years of his life. Shouldn't _he_ be the one going for help, considering he was the younger out of the two? It just made more sense.

Shutting the door behind him, Kei began to prepare for work.

* * *

Kei pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten. He let a low growl slip from his lips as he eyed his surroundings.

Weekends were one of the reasons he _really_ hated his job at the music shop. Throughout the week it would seem like the store didn't have much business, but once it came to an end that's when most of their earnings began to come in. Customers berated Kei left and right over the music selection, children that shouldn't even _be_ in the store tossed around CDs and vinyls as if they were toys, and Kei even caught the occasional thief trying to stuff a Mumford and Sons album into their jacket.

"Tsukishima!" Keiji called from his office. Kei looked up, giving his boss a pleading look. He knew he worked a half day today, but Kei just wanted it to end as soon as possible.

"What?" Kei shouted back, trying to talk over the loud customers.

Keiji waved, gesturing at the blonde to come over. Kei briskly made his way out from behind the counter; he would take any excuse to get away from the fray of people.

Stepping aside to allow Kei to enter, Keiji softly shut the door before making his way back to his desk. "Have you found any new jobs?" Kei didn't even get to seat himself before the question reached his ears. He looked up with a tired expression. Keiji raised his brow questioningly at the look.

"What's your problem?"

"Everything is my problem," Kei muttered, running a hand through his thin hair. "I'm tired as fuck. I was stuck looking after a kid yesterday during my only day off and now I'm here dealing with all the idiots out front. And you know what else?"

Kei didn't even give Akaashi a chance to answer before he continued his brief rant. He didn't even get an answer to his original question.

"I ran into that cheeky asshole Kuroo yesterday," Kei spat. "Like, are you kidding me? I never wanted to see his face again and I go to pick my brother's daughter up and guess who's watching her!? Kuroo _fucking_ Tetsurou. Who would've guessed that an idiot like him could run a daycare? To be honest, I kind of pity him."

"You know," Akaashi started, grabbing his chance to finally speak, "I was pretty surprised myself when I found out Kuroo started a daycare business. No one expected it. He always went on about how he wanted to go into a lawyering career throughout highschool and he even went to school for it. Then all of a sudden he dropped out and started looking after kids."

That caught Kei's attention. Who would walk away from such a promising career for a bunch of _brats_? The gentle look Kuroo gave the kids yesterday suddenly flashed through Kei's mind and he decided to question it another time.

"Well, whatever that guy does is none of my business."

"You were the one who started to rant about it in the first place."

"Okay, s _hut up_ , how 'bout it?" Kei snapped. "Why did you call me in here anyway?"

Keiji rolled his eyes. "I asked you the reason right when you came in, then you proceeded to ignore me."

"Fine, fine. Sorry," Kei apologized, waving his hand. "Just get it over with. What do you want?"

"I asked if you found any jobs yet," Keiji repeated his question from earlier as he locked a focused gaze on Kei. "I saw a few job openings around here yesterday on my way home from work."

"What is the point of this conversation?" Kei asked skeptically. "I'm already working here. This is a waste of time."

Keiji pushed himself off his desk, heaving a sigh. "Kei, I know you hate your job. I actually care about my employees unlike other managers. You mope around everyday with clear hatred on your face, it's pretty obvious. I don't want you wasting your time just as much as you do."

"This is stupid," Kei said. "Are you firing me?"

"Not necessarily," Keiji answered. "I just wanna help you out." He began to walk back to the door, glancing briefly at Kei.

"I don't need any help so quit pushing it."

Keiji opened the door, already knowing that Kei was going to get up and leave. Something- or rather some _one-_ caught his eye before he could properly dismiss him, though.

"Kei, your brother's here."

A sharp intake of breath sounded from the blonde as he slammed his hands on Keiji's desk, a few papers flying up. Kei stomped out the room and made eye contact with the elder Tsukishima.

"For fuck's sake," Kei hissed under his breath. "What are you doing here? I've dealt with enough of you."

Akiteru looked sheepish under Kei's intense gaze. His eyes moved frantically around the store- from the floor, to Kei, to the door, and back to Kei. A small head poked out from behind Akiteru's legs, and Kei felt his shoulders relax slightly. Aoi was here too.

"I know I've bothered you enough already," Akiteru started slowly. Kei snapped his gaze back up to his brother, making him hurry his next words. "B-but you need to hear me out! Something came up with Chiharu and I _need_ to accompany her so Aoi's left alone again! Can't you please watch over her again for me? P-please?!"

"Akiteru, I'm at work right now, if you couldn't tell."

"Look, it's just for the rest of the day!" Akiteru tried to reason. "She doesn't have to stay over again. I kind of don't trust her to anyway after she told me about the food incident."

Kei groaned, rubbing his temples. He was over with this. Enough was enough but when he made eye contact with Aoi again, he could feel the tight reign on his resolve slowly begin to slip away.

"I really don't want to. I'm not a babysitter, Akiteru-"

"Kei, please! I gotta go really soon!" Akiteru pleaded. "Listen, if you really don't want to, then just drop Aoi off to that _actual_ babysitter from yesterday. How about that? I'm sure he won't mind a walk in, right?"

Kei choked a bit, a grim expression growing on his face. He was faced with a decision he didn't want to make. It was either he had to be stuck with the kid for another day or he had to see _him_ again...

Turning to give Keiji a look of exasperation, Kei had a hundred thoughts running through his head at once. His friend noticed the lost expression on the blonde's face and gave a small shrug before nodding. Kei looked down, sighing. What other choice did he have?

* * *

Kuroo was in the middle of putting some leftover dishes in the sink when he heard rapid knocking on the door. He suddenly remembered yesterday; it was the same knock and, he noticed when glancing at the clock, around the same time.

Wiping his hands on his pants, Kuroo quickly lifted a small baby from the high chair at the dining table before making his way to the entry. Opening the door, he was greeted with the same sight as the day before. The only difference now was Kei had Aoi beside him.

"Oh ho ho ho-"

"Take her," Kei snapped, nudging Aoi forward.

Kuroo raised an inquisitive brow. "What? Right now?"

"Yes, right now," Kei hissed. "My brother dumped her on me again. It was either I keep her for another day or I hand her over to you. Please just get this over with." If Kei wasn't tired earlier, then he definitely was now. He was also irritated and stressed and lethargic and a whole bunch of other feelings combined into one giant mess that was Tsukishima Kei. Kuroo noticed this.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Kei replied louder than necessary. He shut his mouth, realizing his stress was getting the better of himself.

Aoi looked up at Kuroo, a curious expression on her face.

"Here again, Kai? I wanna go home."

That's when the whining began.

Kuroo stood at his door, watching the scene unfold before him in panic. Aoi began to cry, stomping her feet and trying her best to pull Kei away from the house. Kuroo noticed Kei growing more impatient by the second, his eyes shutting tight. He really wasn't prepared to deal with this. Usually Kuroo rejected last minute requests, but he found himself sympathizing for the other. He could tell Kei was having a bad day. Reaching out, Kuroo gingerly took Aoi's hand and pulled her away from Kei.

"Let's go, sweetheart," Kuroo said comfortingly. "Don't start this again. We can play all day if you want to. No more peas either, how's that sound?"

Aoi continued to pout and whine, but she stopped resisting against Kuroo's grasp. He was about to tell Kei not to worry and to head home when he noticed the other wasn't making any move to leave. Kei stood at the door step, face in his hands. His hands soon moved to pull at his hair in frustration.

 _On second thought..._

"Come in."

Kei snapped his head up, looking at Kuroo with wide albeit tired eyes.

"Huh?"

"I said come inside."

"Wait, no, I-"

Kuroo sighed. He let go of Aoi and grabbed Kei's arm, pulling him in. He shut and locked the door before walking away into the living room. "Just take a seat and relax, alright? Don't worry about Aoi."

Kei stood stunned in the entryway, frozen to his spot. What was he doing here? All he had to do was drop off Aoi and he could've gone back to work, or better yet ditch and head home. Now he stood in Kuroo's home, absolutely lost on what to do next. But before he could turn and walk back out, Kei began to slip off his shoes and all he could think about was how nice the offer of relaxation was.

"I'm not worried."

Kuroo heard the late response from the distance, smiling to himself.

Stepping into the living room, Kei was greeted with a sight nearly identical to yesterdays. Hibiki and Hikaru were in front of the television, but it was turned off this time. Instead they were sprawled out on the floor as they played together with a handful of toys.

Hikaru was the first to notice Kei, tugging on the other's sleeve to get his attention. Hibiki also looked up and smiled.

"It's Tsuki again!"

Kei frowned, remembering the way Kuroo introduced him yesterday. "My name's Tsukishima, not Tsuki."

Hibiki's face contorted into confusion, moving his mouth to try word the name himself.

"Tsu-tsu... Tsu-kay.. sh-sha-"

"On second thought, Tsuki's fine. Whatever." Kei gave up, throwing himself onto the nearby couch. He cuddled into the pillows, finally letting his body relax for the first time today. This was nice.

Aoi ran into the room and sat together with the other children, pulling their attention away from the worn out blonde. Kuroo followed soon after with the infant in his arms. Kei's eyes landed on it and he gave Kuroo a questioning look.

"Where did that come from?"

Kuroo made a confused expression until he realized what the blonde was asking about. He smiled down at the happy baby in his arms, bouncing it lightly.

"Didn't I say there were three other kids yesterday?" Kuroo reminded him. "Forgot to mention that one isn't even two years old yet."

Kei was originally shocked to find out that Kuroo was able to take care of kids- but a baby? Then another thought crossed his mind.

"Now that you mention it..." Kei trailed off. Kuroo gazed at him, motioning for him to continue. "Why are the same kids here again? They were here yesterday and now they're here again. I mean, same thing for Aoi but she was late minute."

Kuroo's face suddenly fell but he quickly shook it off, chuckling lightly. Kei caught it, though, but he didn't question it. One question had to be answered at a time.

"Oh, yeah," Kuroo replied a bit too nonchalantly, "they're all related. But yep, regulars basically. These three little kittens are brought here everyday." He ignored the two elder children turning to look at him.

Kei snorted. "Is that why you're so obsessed with that dumb nursery rhyme?"

"It's not dumb." Aoi spoke up, pouting at Kei. "You were singing it with me yesterday!"

It was Kuroo's turn to snort. He smiled teasingly at Kei, in which he got a flustered glare in return.

"I knew those snide comments you made at the music store was all big talk," Kuroo said, laughing. "Oh bro, this is too good."

"I'm not your 'bro'," Kei mumbled, turning away. "Whatever! This is dumb."

Kuroo moved to sit down near the kids, placing the baby in his lap. He glanced over at Kei's resting form before he looked back at the children with a wide grin.

"The three little kittens, they lost their mittens, and they began to cry~"

Kei's ears perked up, the frown on his face deepening. Kuroo was mocking him.

Hikaru smiled when she heard Kuroo sing, scooching closer to him and singing along. "Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear, that we have lost our mittens!" Kuroo purposely raised his voice as they sang together, "What! Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens! Then you shall have no pie~" His voice was dramatic, using a silly accent to make Hikaru giggle.

Silence followed and Kei got confused for a moment. He suddenly felt all eyes on him, and he dreaded what was coming next. Shifting in his spot, Kei glanced at the group and his suspicions were right. They all sat across from him, staring expectantly.

"I'm not singing."

"Kai!" Aoi whined.

"No, I'm not doing it."

"Tsuki, there are kids here," Kuroo said in an almost taunting tone of voice, "you can't let them down."

Kei glared at Kuroo from the corner of his eyes. The glint he caught in those piercing orbs made his irritation only skyrocket. He inhaled sharply through his nose, letting his head fall into his hands.

"Meow... meow... meow," Kei muttered, his voice muffled, "Then you shall have no pie."

Kuroo's grin widened. He threw his head back and howled with laughter. "This is golden!" He toned it down when he caught Kei trying to hide even more. "Isn't it 'Then _we_ shall have no pie', though?"

Kei looked up, clearly agitated.

"No, you idiot," he snapped. "It's 'you', you've got it wrong."

"Really?" Kuroo leaned back, his expression genuinely confused. "I always thought it was the kittens saying that last line. But I'm sure you're an expert on nursery rhymes, so I'll trust you, Tsuki."

Kei grunted in response, too tired and humiliated to give a proper retort.

A comfortable silence followed after, the kids continuing to play quietly. Kei was thankful for the final peace and quiet, but it didn't last long. Crying began to rip through the room, startling everyone. Kuroo looked down at the baby in his arms, beginning to rock it back and forth.

"Ohh, Nana..." Kuroo whispered. "What's wrong? Why're you cryin'?"

Kei pulled a nearby pillow over his head in an attempt block the crying out. He heard Kuroo get up, moving around the room and shushing over and over again. "You know, a baby doesn't know what "Shh" means."

"I don't know," Kuroo replied half-attentively. "It usually calms Nanami down." Despite Kuroo's claim, Kei wasn't sure if he should believe him or not because Nanami continued to cry for the next three minutes.

"You're hopeless," Kei snapped, finally getting up and taking the the baby from Kuroo's arms. He ignored the other's protests. Kei held the infant in his arms, slowly bouncing on one leg then the other. He rubbed slow circles on her back as he began to hum.

Kuroo stood there, once again watching Kei in complete shock.

Nanami's cries began to die down, turning into soft hiccups and whimpers. A small smile graced Kei's lips and Kuroo caught it before it quickly disappeared. He walked back to the stunned male, handing Nanami back into his arms.

"Geez," Kei muttered, "it's not that hard."

"Then why don't you do it? I said yesterday that you should be working for me instead." The words left Kuroo's mouth before he could actually think about what he was saying. It meant to be a joke, yet he sounded so serious. He tensed up, waving his hand. "Sorry. Uh, I mean-"

"I don't know," Kei replied, shrugging. Kuroo's eyes widened, letting his hand fall back to his side. Once again, Kei seemed to be taking his words as sincere. Not that they weren't, but... It confused Kuroo considering how Kei seemed so passionate when he talked about how much he disliked dealing with children.

"Would you actually consider it? It would be cool to have you helping me." Kuroo spoke without thinking again. He quickly added, "I mean, because you seem really good with kids. That's why." He didn't know what other reason there would be, but Kuroo was cautious anyway.

Kei paused, unconsciously gazing at the kids playing on the floor. Keiji's words from earlier in the day were ringing in his head.

 _"I don't want you wasting your time just as much as you do."_

He frowned. This honestly seemed just as much of a waste of time as working at the music shop... Yet, Kei was drawn to Kuroo's inquisitive stare. He remembered the feeling of Nanami in his arms and suddenly he was speaking before thinking just as Kuroo did.

"I'll consider it."

Kei saw the genuine surprise in Kuroo's eyes but was diverted away by the other's happy grin.

"Okay."

The two later exchanged their numbers before Kei decided to head out. Kuroo was satisfied with how today played out. When Kei said he would consider it, the fact that he said ' _I'll_ consider it' made Kuroo content. That meant he would actually do so, and there was a real chance of Kei actually agreeing.

He waved goodbye after Kei said Akiteru would come by later that night to pick up Aoi. After shutting the door, Kuroo pressed his back against the wood, sliding down to the floor. His expression fell and suddenly he wasn't so excited anymore. Thoughts were racing through his head a mile a second, and he almost felt _scared_.

Kuroo turned his head to look at Hibiki, Hikaru, and Nanami. The two elder siblings were fighting over a toy boat as Nanami rolled on the floor, trying to grab hold of her tiny feet. An almost sad smile crossed his face, but he immediately shook it off and took a deep breath. This wasn't the time to be thinking about it.

Kuroo got up, making his way back to the kids with a big smile.

"Guys, stop fighting! You're going to break it, I spent money on that!"

* * *

 **WELL, WELL, WELL!**

 **We're in the _shit_ now, guys. I was super excited to continue this so here I am, posting three chapters in the same day (although it's 2:12 AM here, though).**

 **Hope you guys are liking it so far. Remember it would be nice if you guys followed and favorited so you know whenever I update. Drop some reviews too and let me know what you think about the plot so far. Kuroo's emotions are all over the place right now. I wonder why~...**

 **See you next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**[10:23 AM]  
** **Me: Hello?  
** **[10:34 AM]  
** **Me: Kuroo? It's Tsukishima. I'm hoping this is the right number.  
** **[10:39 AM]  
** **Me: Hey, I don't know what you're up to but**

 **[10:39 AM]  
Unknown Number: tsuki!**

 **[10:40 AM]  
Me: This is about the job, so.  
Me: Oh. Finally. This is Kuroo, right?**

 **[10:42 AM]  
Unknown Number: yep u got me  
Unknown Number: i wasnt sleepin**

 **[10:42 AM]  
Me: Sure you weren't.**

 **[10:44 AM]  
Kuroo: :(  
Kuroo: wait brb**

 **[10:45 AM]  
Me: Serious? I'm trying to talk about something important.  
** **[10:48 AM]  
** **Me: ... This is stupid, I might as well scrap this altogether.**

 **[10:57 AM]  
Kuroo: tsuki no! the kids arrived thats all**

 **[10:59 AM]  
Me: This early?**

 **[11:00 AM]  
Kuroo: its not that early  
Kuroo: what did u want**

 **[11:02 AM]  
Me: I'm wondering... if I should accept your little job offer, thing...**

 **[11:03 AM]  
Kuroo: well what could go wrong? i think its worth a shot  
Kuroo: you get to work alongside me ;)**

 **[11:05 AM]  
Me: That's partly why I'm hesitant.**

 **[11:05 AM]  
Kuroo: okok i get it  
Kuroo: well what other reasons are there**

 **[11:07 AM]  
Me: The biggest reason is just the fact that I'll be taking care of kids. I already told you that I don't like handling children.  
[11:24 AM]  
Me: Where did you go this time?**

 **[11:29 AM]  
Kuroo: sorry tsuki the kids desired the gr8 kuroo tetsurous attention  
Kuroo: u got all my attention now ;)**

 **[11:34 AM]  
Me: Stop with the winking emoticons.  
**

 **[11:35 AM]  
Kuroo: anyways what im getting from this is  
Kuroo: u hate handling kids but you dont necessarily hate the actual kids**

 **[11:36 AM]  
Me: No, I hate kids.**

 **[11:36 AM]  
Kuroo: what a liar~  
Kuroo: i saw the way you treated those kids the past two days  
Kuroo: and the way u look at them  
Kuroo: super cute btw**

 **[11:38 AM]  
Me: Whatever.**

 **[11:41 AM]  
Kuroo: but am i wrong?  
Kuroo: ?  
Kuroo: ?**

 **[11:44 AM]  
Me: God, you're annoying.  
Me: But... I guess you're not entirely wrong.**

 **[11:46 AM]  
Kuroo: aha! gotcha  
Kuroo: u might as well give it a try  
Kuroo: plus, in all honesty, ur little job w/ akaashi actually looks rlly boring**

 **[11:47 AM]  
Me: As much as I've been denying it  
Me: It is a pretty shitty job.  
Me: Who knew customers could be so rude? Like they personally come up to the counter just to complain about a particular artist. Geez  
**

 **[11:50 AM]  
Kuroo: sounds like a hassle**

 **[11:50 AM]  
Me: It is  
Me: So then... is this actually serious? Like are you legitimately hiring me?**

 **[11:52 AM]  
Kuroo: well it was a joke at first  
Kuroo: but u know its not a bad idea  
Kuroo: it would be gr8 to have help, sometimes the kids do get out of hand**

 **[11:54 AM]  
Me: Yet you say you're a registered caretaker.**

 **[11:55 AM]  
Kuroo: hey that doesnt stop the kids from acting the way they do  
Kuroo: im not prepared for everything!  
Kuroo: but u seem to be a natural with kids**

 **[11:58 AM]  
Me: I'm not...  
Me: But I guess... if you say so, I'll try it out**

 **[11:59 AM]  
Kuroo: yaaaassss**

 **[12:01 PM]  
Me: ... Ugh.  
Me: What am I getting myself into?**

 **[12:05 PM]  
Kuroo: a whole shit ton of fun! :)**

 **[12:07 PM]  
Me: Oh god.  
Me: Anyways, I guess I should call up Akaashi. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic.**

Kei wasn't wrong in the slightest. When he called up Keiji and told him the situation, he seemed a little too happy to be losing an employee.

"Isn't it bad that I'm basically quitting?" Kei questioned. He was pretty much over pondering his friend's objectives, but that didn't stop him from asking the obvious questions.

"I guess," Keiji replied casually, his calm voice hiding the smile on his face, "but I've got Bokuto to cover up. And like I said, there'll be people taking up your place in no time." Kei wasn't sure if that statement was supposed to be offensive or not.

"I also don't want to see that downer frown all day."

That statement nearly made Kei frown in response. "What do you mean?"

"I just hope that next time I see you, you're a lot more satisfied than you ever were working here," Keiji said. "Even I'd admit this place really, _really_ sucks."

"Um... alright, I guess."

The call soon ended and Kei sat down for a moment or two, thinking over what to do next. He was still questioning why he would ever quit his job to deal with something he couldn't stand. The more he thought about it, the more he thought about Kuroo's words and the way he felt when communicating with the children. Sure, it was annoying, but Kei was beginning to think that that was the only reason he had when he suddenly decided that kids were the epitome of all evil.

He guessed he was the one being pretty ridiculous this time.

Kei shook his head. Picking up his phone, he made the decision that he would just try it out first. If things went the way he thought they would- aka everything going downhill- he could easily force Keiji to hire him again. Then Kei would never have to see Kuroo Tetsurou ever again. He wouldn't have to deal with his stupid teasing, he wouldn't have to hear that irritating voice, he wouldn't have to look into those rich copper eyes... he wouldn't have to look at that devilish... devilishly _handsome_ grin ever again...

Kei typed out a quick text before getting up to fix himself lunch.

 **[12:53 PM]  
** **Me: So, what are the times that I should be coming?**

* * *

"Tsuki?"

"What?"

Hibiki stared at Kei from his spot on the floor, momentarily shifting his attention away from the television. "Why are you always so angry?" Kei frowned before reclining back on the couch and closing his eyes.

"It's because of annoying childr-"

"Alright kiddos!" Kuroo barged into the room, cutting off Kei's blunt answer. "Your snacks are ready, go eat." The kids piled out the room and into the kitchen, Kei's eyes filled with boredom as they followed them until they were gone.

It had been two weeks since Kei started working with Kuroo. They decided that the blonde would only come on weekdays, and it was optional if he wanted to work on a weekend (he never did). Originally he had questioned why the three siblings never attended school, and Kuroo was noticeably flustered for some unknown reason. He nervously explained that the family couldn't afford a proper education so it was mainly up to him to help "homeschool" them. Kei didn't complain nor did he question any further.

The end of the week had come, and it hadn't been very eventful. The usual three siblings were around, and Kei will admit that they weren't as rambunctious as he expected. Nanami was almost always asleep, and Hikaru was the quietest five year old he's ever met. Hibiki talked the most out of all the kids. Something Kei noticed was the little boy didn't just talk about anything and everything, but he was quite observant. Most of the words that left Hibiki's mouth were questions; he questioned small things that he noticed. It actually made Kei quite happy as if he was a proud parent.

"Those kids are pretty smart," Kei mentioned to Kuroo.

The older man gave his signature grin. "Of course! I'm teaching them, obviously." Kei rolled his eyes at that statement. He sluggishly stood up, moving to clean up the mess that was left in the living room.

"I don't necessarily mean academically. Don't get ahead of yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm not!"

"Your head's too big. Is that what your ridiculous bedhead is hiding?"

Kei snickered at his own comment, turning his face away to hide his widening smirk. Kuroo caught it though which caused a large pout to appear. "Hey, that's not nice."

"It's called being _honest_ , Kuroo."

A comfortable silence fell between them, the sounds of light chattering coming from the kitchen. Kei was unnerved by the stillness when he first started to situate himself in his new job. He soon learnt that Kuroo didn't always have something to say, yet he noticed that the usually lively male was okay with it. Kuroo replied that even he appreciated quiet atmospheres after taking care of kids for a little over a year. It was understandable, and Kei always took advantage of these moments to relish in the peace.

For some reason though, Kei wanted to speak up today. He suddenly felt flustered and he didn't know why.

"Uh, as I was saying," Kei said, catching Kuroo's attention, "the kids. Yeah, they're a lot more sharp than I expected them to be. Props to their parents."

Kei was now feeling more anxious because as those words left his mouth, Kuroo's content expression fell. The other glanced around awkwardly for a moment before he quietly shrugged, gazing back at the bespectacled blonde.

"I suppose so."

Kei blanched at Kuroo's dull and uncertain response. Regret filled him as he realized that this was a reason why he didn't enjoy making small talk. He became uncertain himself, and Kei began to worry over what brought out such a reply. These occasions always bothered him. Kuroo was odd, then there were times when he becomes _really_ odd, but Kei could never figure out why he acted such a way. He never pushed, though, and he could tell that Kuroo was grateful. Kei's thoughts shifted to himself, beginning to feel stupid over his abrupt urge to make conversation in the first place.

"Sorry." Kuroo cut off Kei's thinking. "I'm tired, I guess. Maybe I'll take a small nap with the kids later."

Frowning, Kei shot the other a skeptical look albeit nodding. He sighed, looking away. Kuroo would forever be an enigma to him.

"You shouldn't be sleeping on the job, idiot."

The two put away all the toys and books that lay strewn across the floor. Kuroo explained to Kei on his first day that it was routine for the siblings to take a nap after their late afternoon snacks. They would sleep until their parents arrived at the usual time, which was 6 PM. Kei usually left during nap time, since it was getting late anyway. Today wasn't going to be any different, and thankfully Kuroo never complained.

"So, you uh... got any plans this weekend?" Kuroo asked as Kei headed to the door. This question caught the blonde by surprise, and when he turned around he met the other's sheepish expression.

"Uhh... maybe?"

Kuroo was flustered because of what happened earlier. He nearly let himself slip in front of Kei, but he couldn't let the other see any more. A forced but nonetheless playful grin replaced the raven-headed male's originally diffident expression.

"You wanna go out, Tsuki~?" He wiggled his eyebrows, making Kei frown in response. The blonde was taken aback by the forward request, but he rolled his eyes at the other's antics. Kuroo regularly made attempts at what Kei took as flirting. He was usually put off by it but sometimes he couldn't help but let it effect him.

"No," Kei bluntly replied, "I suddenly have plans now, bye bye."

"Tsuki!" Kuroo whined, grabbing Kei's arm before he could turn away. "Come on! That means you are free! You're so salty..."

"Don't call me that."

"Salty Tsuki!"

"Shut up..." Kei groaned. "Don't you have to watch the kids anyway? Geez, you're so irresponsible."

Kuroo smiled smugly, patting Kei's back. "Oh, don't worry! I have someone else looking after the kiddos this Saturday! I was originally gonna just take a sort of day off, I guess, but now that you're here I might as well ask you to keep me company."

"Are you serious? You're being paid to babysit those kids and now you're dropping them on someone else to babysit them?" Kei asked incredulously. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was the most irresponsible action he's ever witnessed. What was this guy's deal? And he calls himself a certified caretaker?

Kuroo noticed Kei's contempt and he began to grow sheepish again.

"Geez Tsuki, I'm sorry! I know it seems thoughtless but I need a break too sometimes..."

"And what?" Kei crossed his arms. "You couldn't just tell their parents that and have them send their kids somewhere else for the day? What's your problem?"

This appeared to have set something off, and Kei wished he knew how to tone down his words.

"Don't come around and tell me how to do my job," Kuroo snapped, taking a step forward. "I know what I'm doing, okay? _I'm_ the one looking after those kids, _I'm_ the one making the decisions. Listen, I don't just decide these things carelessly! I care about their well being, but I also care about mine. I think things through first, I'm not a dumbass!"

"Kuroo, I get it. I'm-"

"I care about them, Tsuki!" Kuroo exclaimed, his voice shaking slightly. "I care about them..."

Kuroo faltered, his eyes widening as if he just realized what he said. Kei bit his lip, distantly gazing at the emotional man in front of him. This was the first time Kuroo had ever really gotten _upset_. It wasn't like the times when the kids didn't listen and he scolded them, or the times Kei ignored his advances and he began to whine- this was _completely_ different and new to Kei. He didn't know what to do.

"I- Uh... I'm, um, sorry?" Kei looked away, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, uh... I don't know."

He suddenly felt a little hurt.

"I'll see you."

Kei turned and walked away from the townhouse, his pace hurried. He wanted to go home and maybe stay there for the entire weekend.

The blonde didn't feel hurt as if Kuroo offended him or anything. His pace slowed as he approached the bus stop, his amber eyes focused on the cracks in the sidewalk and he remembered the pained look in Kuroo's eyes.

Kei hurt for Kuroo, and he hurt for whatever it is that he's hiding from him.

* * *

 **[7:46 PM]  
Me: Kuroo?  
Me: I hope you're not still mad at me. I need to talk to you.  
** **[7:53 PM]  
Me: Please? God, I hate begging.  
Me: But this is important.**

 **[7:57 PM]  
Kuroo: hey tsuki  
Kuroo: sorry late reply  
Kuroo: and i was never mad at u tsuki! i swear**

 **[7:57 PM]  
Me: Are you sure? You seemed pretty upset earlier.  
Me: I don't know what I said to set you off, but I apologize.**

 **[7:58 PM]  
Kuroo: aw dont apologize! i rlly wasnt mad, i promise  
Kuroo: i should be the one apologizing that was rlly stupid of me i didnt mean to lash out at you or anythin  
Kuroo: its just... oh man. yeah... i uh i do care about those kids**

 **[8:00 PM]  
Me: I could tell.**

 **[8:00 PM]  
Kuroo: im sorry is it weird  
Kuroo: i mean since im lookin after them i gotta have at least some compassion for them right  
Kuroo: right? pls dont tell me u think im creepy or smth**

 **[8:01 PM]  
Me: I don't necessarily find it weird... or creepy...  
Me: I don't know how I would describe it. I just wasn't expecting that much love?  
Me: For someone else's kids?  
Me: Maybe it is a little weird.**

 **[8:03 PM]  
Kuroo: oh no, shit! see it is weird! im so sorry im rlly not like that!**

 **[8:04 PM]  
Me: No, no, calm down. It's fine**

 **[8:04 PM]  
Kuroo: idk tsuki.. pls**

 **[8:05 PM]  
Me: Just chill out. It's honestly fine. It's a little weird at first, but it's not that bad.  
Me: I mean, I guess I see what you mean when you said you have to have some sort of compassion for them.**

 **[8:05 PM]  
Kuroo: yea! yea ur right  
Kuroo: i mean im right  
Kuroo: im just, i guess, a real passionate person like i rlly feel things**

 **[8:08 PM]  
Me: I'm not really the same, but I can see what you're talking about.**

 **[8:09 PM]  
Kuroo: and i mean  
Kuroo: when ur lookin after the same bunch of kids for over a year  
Kuroo: u get attached real quick**

 **[8:11 PM]  
Me: ... I uh  
Me: I know what you mean there.**

 **[8:12 PM]  
Kuroo: u do? i thought u hated them tsuki!  
Kuroo: dont tell me ur gettin soft~ u like them dont you!**

 **[8:14 PM]  
Me: I cannot believe you put 'u' and 'you' in the same sentence.**

 **[8:14 PM]  
Kuroo: dont change the subject u lil sneak!**

 **[8:15 PM]  
Me: Okay, okay fuck.  
Me: They're... they're okay. They're not bad compared to some other kids.**

 **[8:16 PM]  
Kuroo: aha! see!  
Kuroo: and i bet thats a lie too**

 **[8:16 PM]  
Me: What are you talking about? You're making me seem like such a big liar.**

 **[8:20 PM]  
Kuroo: bc u are!  
Kuroo: u say compared to some other kids but im pretty sure u dont actually hate any kids  
Kuroo: in fact**

 **[8:21 PM]  
Me: Don't be ridiculous.  
**

 **[8:21 PM]  
Kuroo: i bet u LOVE kids!**

 **[8:22 PM]  
Me: I said quit being ridiculous! No, I don't.**

 **[8:22 PM]  
Kuroo: tsuki pls  
Kuroo: ok tell me why u hate them so much then  
[8:28 PM]  
Kuroo: i went to check on nana and u still havent answered**

 **[8:28 PM]  
Me: -They're annoying  
-They're needy  
-They're loud  
-They cry too much  
-They can't take care of themselves  
-They have no common sense  
-It's hard to keep track of them because they're always running around  
-They eat too much  
-They're just a lot of work in general  
-They're unhygienic  
-They're just generally gross looking**

 **[8:28 PM]  
Kuroo: r u in denial~  
Kuroo: oh.  
Kuroo: well i think thats a whole list of BULLSHIT**

 **[8:31 PM]  
Me: Excuse me?**

 **[8:31 PM]  
Kuroo: ur list is dumb!**

 **[8:32 PM]  
Me: You act just as much as a child, maybe that's why I find you so irritating.**

 **[8:32 PM]  
Kuroo: oh tsuki how u wound me!  
Kuroo: but pls that list rlly is bs  
Kuroo: the fact that it took u over 5min to even type out and send just makes it even more obvi  
Kuroo: it just means u were hesitating lots or couldnt even think of good reasons  
Kuroo: tsuki? am i right or am i right?**

 **[8:36 PM]  
Me: Fuck you.**

 **[8:37 PM]  
Kuroo: D:  
Kuroo: but also :D bc i am right!  
Kuroo: oh tsuki ur so cute and in denial**

 **[8:37 PM]  
Me: And you're still irritating.  
Me: But... fine. I'll give it to you. I, uh, I don't really know why I actually hate children.  
**

 **[8:38 PM]  
Kuroo: or act like you do?**

 **[8:40 PM]  
Me: ... Yeah.  
Me: Look I don't usually just tell this to anyone, so feel special. You'd just keep pushing it anyway.  
** **Me: I've just always put up this cold front. And when my brother had his daughter, I was really happy but... I didn't know what to do. Sometimes him and Chiharu are busy so it was up to me to watch over her. I kept up my little act even if I didn't mean to.**

 **[8:42 PM]  
Kuroo: wait so ur not actually stingy? :O!**

 **[8:42 PM]  
Me: Shut up.  
Me: Okay well, I don't know. I am? I've just grown to naturally be like this. Whatever.  
Me: But Aoi still liked me even though I wasn't the best uncle. And it was weird. Kids trust too easily. I didn't know how to take care of her properly, but she didn't seem to care.**

 **[8:43 PM]  
Kuroo: but thats whats so gr8 bout kids!  
Kuroo: theyre so naturally loving and they dont care who u are but as long as u love them n care for them theyll do the same  
Kuroo: it may not look like it but kids care for u just as much as u care for them**

 **[8:45 PM]  
Me: That was surprisingly... smart. And reasonable. And kind of enlightening.**

 **[8:45 PM]  
Kuroo: surprisingly?! :(**

 **[8:46 PM]  
Me: Listen, Kuroo...  
Me: I'm sorry about earlier today. I should be better at watching my words.**

 **[8:46 PM]  
Kuroo: i already told u its ok tsuki dwai**

 **[8:46 PM]  
Me: Okay but... I still think you shouldn't be having someone else watch the kids because it is your responsibility. I understand you don't mean to be, but still.  
Me: When I said I understood what you meant earlier, I meant I also... grew an attachment of sorts to the children.**

 **[8:49 PM]  
Kuroo: awwww! tsuki! i cant believe it  
Kuroo: ur so cute i bet ur blushin rn**

 **[8:51 PM]  
Me: Die, please.**

 **[8:52 PM]  
Kuroo: :(**

 **[8:52 PM]  
Me: But don't ignore what I said.  
Me: Call up whoever it was that you somehow convinced to watch the siblings and tell them not to worry about it.**

 **[8:54 PM]  
Kuroo: u sound like a mom!  
Kuroo: its kinda like u are their mom anyway**

 **[8:54 PM]  
Me: I'm sure I'll seem more like an actual authoritative figure more than you ever will.  
**

 **[8:55 PM]  
Kuroo: so i gotta give up my day off? :( i wanted to go on a date w you tsuki...**

 **[8:56 PM]  
Me: God, I hate this.  
Me: Look  
Me: I'll... spend time with you tomorrow**

 **[8:56 PM]  
Kuroo: :O**

 **[8:56 PM]  
Me: BUT  
Me: You're watching over the kids tomorrow- like you're SUPPOSED to be doing.  
Me: I'll just be helping you.  
Me: We can... we can take them out to the park or something.**

 **[8:57 PM]  
Kuroo: well...**

 **[8:58 PM]  
Me: Well...?**

 **[8:58 PM]  
Kuroo: alright tsuki  
Kuroo: sounds like a plan!  
Kuroo: aw man its like a happy family outing!**

 **[8:59 PM]  
Me: Don't act like their our kids.**

 **[8:59 PM]  
Kuroo: our~?**

 **[9:00 PM]  
Me: Ffs. Stop trying to add suggestive meaning behind my words!  
Me: Whatever. Look, everything's settled. Go call up whoever you called before, okay?  
Me: I'm going to sleep, okay? I'm really tired. What time do you want me to come over tomorrow?**

 **[9:01 PM]  
Kuroo: okok  
Kuroo: wow u sleep early. no wonder ur so tall tsuki  
Kuroo: uh 1 is fine by me**

 **[9:05 PM]  
Me: Okay.  
Me: Idiot. You should head to bed as well, or something.**

 **[9:07 PM]  
Kuroo: alright mom geez  
Kuroo: goodnight mommy tsuki~**

Kei laid in bed, his phone screen illuminating his face. After rolling his eyes at the last text, he locked his phone and placed it on his nightstand. He was too tired to make any retort back.

Settling into a comfortable position, Kei was about to let his eyes fall when something Kuroo said flashed in his memory. The blonde furrowed his brows. He was about to grab his phone again to check if what he was remembering was correct, but his tired state lulled him into a slumber before he could think any further.

Meanwhile, Kuroo was seated on his own bed, briskly scrolling up through the texts to immediately delete the same message from his own phone. He bit his lip, realizing that it still wouldn't remove it from Kei's messages.

"Shit."

He hoped that Kei would be as exhausted as he said he was, and that it slipped his notice.

* * *

 **Author's Note: HOO HOO HOO**

 **I was planning on putting the text they were worried about at the end, but I decided to make it mysterious and leave you guys guessing. Haha. Unless you noticed which message it was. Then nice job, good for you.**

 **Sorry not sorry for leaving you guys waiting for a week? Sort of a week? It's nearing the end of my school year, so lots of tests and assignments. Next week is my last week (then finals) so I can't say for sure when the next update is. Probably at the end of the week, again.**

 **Anyways, favorite, follow, and review (if you can) if you like it so far. See you next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

"You know," Kei started, eyes roaming the park, "the forecast said it was going to rain. Are you sure you don't just wanna head somewhere else?"

It was the Saturday the two planned to head out together with the children. Apparently they had a nearby park that Kuroo referred to as their "favourite", and Kei had nowhere else in mind so he couldn't care less where they went. But shortly before leaving, Kei quickly checked the weather on his phone and noticed the 56% chance of rain. The percentage wasn't high enough to worry about, but now that he looked up at the grey clouds slowly drifting in the distance, Kei wondered if this was a good idea.

"Come on, Tsuki," Kuroo cooed, throwing an arm around the blonde's shoulders. He gazed at the clouds Kei noticed before giving a nonchalant shrug. "The clouds look pretty far away. I'm sure we'll have time to chill around for a bit. The kiddos haven't been to the park in a while."

A quiet grunt was Kei's response, pushing Kuroo's arm away.

"Whatever you say."

He could not believe he was dragged into this trip, but last night's conversation kept ringing in his head and Kei couldn't find himself able to push Kuroo away. The blonde also couldn't bring himself to push the kids away and he found no point in hiding it anymore after what he confessed to the other male.

"The kids were happy to hear that you were coming along," Kuroo said softly, his eyes glued to the two siblings running ahead of them. Kei glanced at him, shifting his hold on the heavy backpack they brought along. A response didn't come and Kei was at a loss for words. He wasn't good with this kind of thing, all the blonde was used to was pretending to despise children and shoot a retort.

Kuroo seemed to notice Kei's struggle.

"Don't force yourself."

"What?"

Kei turned to meet Kuroo's understanding smile, before shifting his gaze down at the sweet face of Nanami sleeping in her stroller.

"I said don't force yourself," Kuroo repeated. "I know it was probably hard to come clean last night. And it was probably hard to come along today too. I'm thankful, but please, you don't have to go out of your way to act any differently because of yesterday."

Kei bit his lip before turning away with a frown. "Whatever. I'm not."

Kuroo chuckled, before speeding up his pace to catch up with the children.

"Woah there," Kuroo called out, quickly grabbing onto Hibiki's shirt and pulling him back. "What's the rush?"

Hibiki gasped in surprise, turning to look at his caretaker before looking back at his sister. He stomped his foot before punching Kuroo's leg. Kuroo was obviously stronger than the little boy so he stood there watching him with an amused smile, not faltering even the slightest bit.

"Me and Hikaru made a bet on who could reach the tree first!" Hibiki explained with a whining tone. "Look what you did, Tetsu-nii! Now she gets to use the swing before me!"

Kuroo frowned at the way Hibiki addressed him. Noticing Kei making his way beside them with a roll of his eyes, Kuroo quickly shook it off and wore his usual lazy smirk.

"Silly," Kei said, "don't waste your energy. You two can take turns, I'll push you." The blonde spun Hibiki back around before giving him a light push back towards the tree.

"Get moving."

Kuroo watched Kei with a mixture of surprise and admiration in his eyes. Kei caught this and huffed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Tch."

The group settled beneath the long branches of an oak tree. Kuroo parked Nanami's stroller beside them before moving to help Kei with his luggage. He smiled as the other begrudgingly allowed him to take the backpack. It wasn't exactly heavy to Kei, but it was _unnecessarily_ heavy and that was what irked him. The backpack held the essentials they needed like snacks, wipes, and bottles for Nanami, but it also held a large amount of toys that Kei knew the other two were not going to pull out even once during the day out.

Kei sent a glare at Kuroo, knowing the older male could tell what he was thinking. Kuroo smiled sheepishly.

"Look, I'm sorry. I can't say no to them!"

"You could at least have a limit," Kei snapped. "You packed every single toy they brought up without an ounce of hesitation- and _I_ was the one who ended up carrying it all."

Kuroo lifted his hands in surrender.

"Alright, chief, I'm sorry!" he said, albeit teasingly. "I'll do better next time."

"For Pete's sake," Kei muttered, "you're the one who's supposed to be in charge here. I'm just working for you."

Kuroo's lips curled into a cheeky smile as he slid up behind Kei and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

"Oh?" Kuroo cooed into the blonde's ear, making Kei's face burst into a bright red. "But today isn't even a working day for you, Tsuki... You didn't even have to come today... How sweet..."

Kei elbowed the other deep in the ribs, briskly moving away.

"Shut up. Don't start this crap."

Kuroo groaned as he hunched over, lifting his face up to offer Kei an apologetic smile.

"Yeesh, alright..."

* * *

"Higher, Tsuki! Higher!"

"Keep asking and I'll push you so hard you'll fly off into space," Kei snapped, nudging Hibiki forward with a little more force. The young boy shut up immediately. Kei was the most brutally honest person he knew so it was a bad idea to doubt his word. An apparent pout still remained on Hibiki's face as he continued to swing back and forth.

Kei moved his hand up to quickly kill a mosquito that landed on his neck. It had been a while since the blonde last went out like this. The only times that Kei leaves the comfort of his home are for work and errands. Parks and other recreational locations were not really his thing.

Taking a step back for a short break, Kei scanned the park. His eyes lingered on each of his companions and he had to admit that it wasn't so bad. This was not something Kei would go out to do on his own will, but he definitely was not regretting coming out today. Of course, Kei would never admit that out loud- especially not to the cocky raven-haired asshole who was heading his way.

A loud groan escaped Kei's lips as Kuroo stopped in front of the two.

"What's with the obvious displeasure? At least try to hide it."

"Sorry not sorry," Kei replied with a bored expression, "My vicious honesty just cannot contain itself sometimes. I'm just expressing how I really feel."

Kuroo merely laughed it off. After his decent amount of time knowing Kei, the blonde's blunt words hit him like the soft bullets of a nerf gun- not hard at all.

Kuroo gently moved Kei out of the way, and the latter let out a sigh of relief. But the break that he expected didn't come and Kei watched in disbelief as Kuroo nudged Hibiki off the swing and sat himself down.

"What are you doing." It was an exasperated statement more than anything. Kei didn't need an answer because he unfortunately knew what the older male was doing.

"It's my turn to be pushed by Tsuki's strong arms!"

"No."

"Please?"

"I don't have time for this."

A slight smirk made it's way onto Kei's face; he practically felt Kuroo's shocked and desperate stare hit the back of his neck. Kuroo had once told him that he had a twisted personality but Kei had began to think that it was the other way around.

 _'What do you mean?!'_ Kuroo had whined in response, clearly offended. _'Isn't twisted supposed to mean odd in a bad way?'_

In Kei's personal opinion, Kuroo often acting like a child when he was the older one was unpleasantly absurd.

"Tsuki..." Kuroo moaned, leaning back on the swing. The bespectacled male simply pretended not to hear, leading Hibiki back towards the nearby tree. He knew feigning ignorance would upset Kuroo, so he worsened it by walking at a teasingly slow pace. Glancing up and seeing Kei's retreating back, Kuroo threw himself back again with a forced cry, covering his eyes with his arm.

"Tsu-Tsuki... I'm going to die in ten seconds if you don't come back!"

"Oh? Is someone calling me Hibiki?"

"Look at Tetsu, Tsuki. What's he even whining for-?"

Kei nudged the small boy with his knee before continuing his tormenting. "I must be hearing things, huh?"

Kuroo lifted his arm to take a peek at Kei, frowning when he saw the blonde was still ignoring him. He groaned, lifting himself back up to slouch on the swing by himself.

"Tsuki, why do you do this to me?" Kuroo exclaimed, pouting when Kei turned to smirk over his shoulder in reply.

"No specific reason."

Leaning his head against the chains holding the swings, Kuroo sighed as he watched Kei lift Nanami out of the stroller before seating himself down beside the other two kids. He sat the sleepy baby in his lap and leaned over to see what the siblings were doing. A small smile replaced Kuroo's originally sullen look.

Kuroo appreciated Kei being around. He first told himself it was because of the help. Taking care of children- specifically three and occasionally plus one or two- was not a simple task; having someone lend a hand really pulled some of the strain off him. Lately, though, Kuroo began to enjoy the general company Kei gave him. It had only been two weeks, but the caretaker lived a sort of lonely life. Being so busy, he couldn't always go out with friends or meet new people. Despite that, he was satisfied with the children and now that Kei was here too, it was even better.

He sighed, shifting in his seat and looking up at the darkened sky. It appeared that Kei was right about the forecast. The growing wind and grey clouds sent a clear message of the rain that was to come any minute. Kuroo heaved himself off the swing set and began to make his way to the tree.

There were a lot of things Kuroo was hiding, and he would deal with them when the time comes. For now, he was thankful that Kei was still by his side without intruding. Whether or not the blonde realized, Kuroo wasn't sure.

Meanwhile, the man in question was under the large oak tree with the siblings. It took three minutes for the blonde to notice that Kuroo hadn't joined them yet. Looking around, his eyes met those sharp, cat-like pupils in the distance. They might be a handful of meters away from each other, but Kuroo's eyes still shot some sort of chill through Kei's body (whether it was good or bad, he had no idea).

Kei looked away and pretended to focus on whatever the kids were talking about, trying his best to ignore how warm his face was.

What was that guy doing anyway? He was just staring at them.

"Dumbass," Kei whispered under his breath.

He caught himself glancing up at Kuroo every now and then only to find that he hasn't moved an inch. Those copper eyes still gazed at Kei, but he noticed the stare grew more distant the longer he looked. Kei shook it off and decided to just leave Kuroo be. It wasn't his business.

Despite his effort to preoccupy himself with the kids, Kei kept lingering, thoughts about the past two weeks running through his head.

It hasn't been too long, but Kei realized that everything just fell right into a comfortable routine. He didn't think about anything else when he got up in the morning to help out Kuroo with the babysitting. There was no dread about getting up early, or about having to deal with the kids- not that Kei would say he was happy or anything... He was simply... satisfied. A lot more satisfied than he was working at the music shop.

At the same time, more things continued to pester the back of his mind as time passed. Everything having to do with the mischievous yet mysterious Kuroo Tetsurou. Kei still couldn't figure the guy out. Behind all the joking and flirting and whatnot, the blonde still couldn't shake off the idea that he was hiding something.

Somewhere during the middle of the week, Kei set himself with a little goal: try his best to see through any lies Kuroo might say. He didn't have enough motivation to push himself to full out investigate, but he knew he had a knack for seeing through a person's words and reading their actions.

... This is where another problem came in. It was an issue that kept Kei up some nights and made him flustered whenever he thought about it.

Kei was beginning to become more affected by Kuroo's flirting (add in his godly looks) every passing day. He tried to push these thoughts away when they first came around because any thoughts of Kuroo outside of work made Kei want to throw himself onto the road. But nowadays, that messy black hair, those piercing cat eyes and that impish grin appeared more and more in the blonde's head.

All these images and thoughts were getting in the way of Kei's goal. Not a single clue has been found, and if any were found, Kei couldn't even remember.

Kei huffed, catching the attention of the small girl beside him. Hikaru looked up with curiosity, gently tugging on Kei's sleeve.

"What?"

"What's wrong, Tsuki?"

He frowned, realizing that he must have been lost in thought for too long.

"Nothing."

"Hmm..." Hikaru looked away, eyes instead roaming the park around them. Kei peered at the little girl from the corner of his eye, wondering what was going through her head. She was a quiet child but thought very deeply for a child her age. It surprised Kei what she managed to observe.

"I'm happy you're here, Tsuki," Hikaru said, turning to give Kei a bright smile. "Tetsu's happy you're here, too. Did you know that? He talks about you lots when you're gone and he smiles lots. I like it."

There it is. It's as if she could read his mind. A hundred more thoughts began to run through Kei's head due to the five year old's claim.

 _How laughable._

Kei groaned, leaning forward and placing his face in his hands out of shame. He couldn't _believe_ he was thinking this way about Kuroo fucking Tetsurou- out of all people. The stupid, cheeky, annoying, _gorgeous, compassionate, witty-_

"Hikaru, you don't know what you're saying," Kei spoke, his voice muffled by his hands.

"Tsuki, Tsuki!" Hibiki suddenly exclaimed, standing up. Kei sighed, looking up with a tired expression. All he wanted was some peace and quiet so he could clear his jumbled mind.

"What is it?"

"I think it's gonna-"

"Hey, guys!" Kuroo was running towards them with an amused but hurried look in his eyes. "It's starting to rain-!"

Just as Kei felt the first drops hit his head through the leaves of the tree above them, the light drizzle immediately turned into a heavy downpour. The blonde began to gather their stuff, but he couldn't help but snicker seeing that Kuroo didn't make it underneath the tree in time and was now drenched and sprinting.

"Holy-!"

Kuroo gasped for air when he arrived under the branches that barely covered them.

"I told you so."

"Hush!" Kuroo said, waving off the snarky blonde. "You can mock me later. Let's get home first."

Kei raised his brow. "Home? Yeah, you can. I'm headed back to my _own_ home-" Despite his claim, Kei still helped Kuroo lift the bags so he could push Nanami's stroller.

"Aw, come on!" Kuroo jeered. "Why not stay o-?" He stopped mid sentence when he took a quick look at his watch. Kuroo realized it was around the time he mentioned to Kei when the kids would be picked up. Hiding his surprise, he smiled at Kei and took the bag from his hands.

"Ah, nevermind Tsuki." Kuroo swiftly pulled on the backpack and turned Kei towards the nearest bus stop. "You better get home quick. Can't catch a cold and not come to work on Monday, glasses boy."

"Uh, what?"

"Sorry," Kuroo said, the apologetic tone his voice sounding almost genuine, "The kids will get picked up soon. You don't need to do any more, as much as I'd love for you to stay."

Kei gazed at Kuroo with an inquisitive look, sensing that something was up but seeing the nervous look on his face, he decided not to say anything. The blond would rather go home anyway.

"Okay. Bye, I guess."

"Bye bye, Tsuki!"

* * *

The door behind Kei shut with a loud thud. He stood at the door for a while, the same thoughts from earlier running through his head. Without hesitation, Kei slipped his phone out of his pocket and began to dial a familiar number. The tone droned on three times before a click notified Kei that whoever he called picked up.

"Tsukishima?"

"Akaashi," Kei greeted in reply. He kicked off his shoes before moving to his couch with long strides.

"I haven't heard from you in a while. How's the daycare thing going-?"

Kei let out a long groan, grabbing Keiji's attention from the other end of the line.

"Don't tell me you hate your job again. I know you don't necessarily like kids, but I thought Kuroo would at least make it better. He's a pain in the ass sometimes but he's not that bad of a guy-"

"Fuck, you're right!"

"Pardon?"

Kei wiped his hand down his face, adjusting his position on the couch so he was laying away from the living room. The blonde didn't even know what to say. So much had been going through his head, he just needed to get everything off his chest... But where was he supposed to start? What exactly was he supposed to tell Keiji? Kei felt a little flustered when he thought about admitting some of his thoughts.

"I just..." Kei let out a sigh. "I really don't know? A lot's been going through my head, but you're right. He is a fucking pain in the ass but... Ugh. Kuroo is precisely the problem here... well, sort of. Not exactly."

"I can tell you're confused yourself, but just try to slow down. Perhaps that will help."

"Right... Uh, thanks."

"No problem. Just start talking when you think you sorted out your words."

Kei was thankful he knew Keiji. He didn't open up to many people, and neither did the other. In a way, they could relate to each other in that sense. People sometimes think Keiji is stuck up or emotionless, but Kei knew that wasn't the case. Keiji was actually perceptive to people, and he always knew what to say and how to say it. His old boss- his f _riend_ \- was one of the only people he could tolerate.

"The job... actually isn't so bad. Don't tell anyone I said that."

"I wouldn't think of doing so."

"Kuroo really... helped me out. He's surprisingly... caring? Observant? A lot of things. But he's still a pain in the ass."

Kei heard Keiji chuckle.

"I'm sure. He tends to provoke people a lot, but he gets people. I'm sure that isn't all, keep going."

"Well... Kuroo... flirts a lot, doesn't he?"

"Does it bother you?"

"... Don't put me on the spot."

Kei could feel Keiji's smile from the other side of the phone. He scowled, knowing full well that Keiji was just teasing him a little.

"Ah, so it doesn't. That's nice to know, Tsukishima. Congratz."

"Shut up! Of course it disturbs me... That guy doesn't know when to stop."

"Really now? Kuroo must've changed," Keiji replied with exaggerated nonchalance. That ticked Kei off, but he was trying to stay calm.

"What are you trying to get at?"

There was a small pause before Keiji casually responded, "Nothing. You and I both know what's going on, Tsukishima. I don't think you should be worrying. Kuroo really is a good guy, you don't have to be ashamed."

Kei sputtered.

"N-no! I mean-" He rubbed his temples, trying to compose himself. "I don't know, okay? I'm not going to confirm whatever you're hinting at."

"Because you're unsure yourself?"

"... I guess."

"Don't worry, Tsukishima," Keiji said calmly. "I know you'll be able to sort it out. Just don't try to push Kuroo away or anything, I never know how he'll react to things like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Kuroo's kind of an enigma, sometimes."

Kei's suspicions came to mind, and he remembered that this was one of the main reasons he called up Keiji.

"Akaashi..."

"Yes?"

"Could you... tell me more about Kuroo? Like before he started watching those kids."

Keiji hummed.

"Well, I don't know. There isn't too much to say from what I've already told you. To be honest, I don't know anything else. Kuroo's gotten... a lot more private the past year or so."

"Is that so? You said he was majoring in law, right?" Kei asked.

"Yes. We all played volleyball in highschool, and Kuroo was actually the captain," Keiji explained. Kei raised a brow at that. Surprisingly, he could vividly picture Kuroo was the captain-type. Especially on a sports team.

Kei stayed silent as to let Keiji know he could continue.

"Uh, well. A lot of people thought he would continue with volleyball after highschool. They thought Kuroo would make it a career, but only close friends of his knew it wasn't what he wanted to do. Kuroo was very passionate about justice and law. He was a very good student, and was actually kind of a goody two shoes."

The blonde snorted at that piece of information.

"Kuroo's smart. It was hard to argue with him because he usually won in the end. But yeah..."

"He quit volleyball and went to school to become a lawyer?"

"Correct. From what Bokuto and I know, it was going really well. We were sure that Kuroo would get his degree and he was really close too, but..."

This is where Kei's suspicions were raised again. He knew what Keiji was going to say, but it just made the blonde even more confused.

"He dropped out."

Keiji didn't reply right away, and Kei was okay with that. The older male seemed just as perplexed as he was.

"No one knew why. Kuroo never gave us a direct answer. He just said that looking after kids seemed like a good career choice for him. He said that becoming a lawyer probably didn't suit him, but we all knew that wasn't true-"

"I'm... sure he has his reasons."

It was supposed to sound understanding, but Keiji could hear the skeptical tone in Kei's voice.

"Did Kuroo tell you anything?" Keiji inquired coolly.

"No, that's the thing."

"Could you explain?"

Kei racked his head for a way to word his notion. He would just have to be straightforward like he always is.

"Kuroo's hiding something. There's something he's not telling me, and I guess you too. I doubt Bokuto would know what the fuck is going on. He's been acting suspicious and judging by this conversation, something really is going on."

"Correct on your statement about Bokuto, but... Really? Kuroo's a truthful guy, he always alerts us if something's up."

"This must be something really important then," Kei speculated. "It's something he can't let slip out. I swear to god, if he kidnaps kids..."

Keiji hummed in thought. It was an odd and worrying thought, but Kei could be on to something. He's been in Kuroo's home more than anyone lately.

"What have you noticed?"

* * *

 **Wow, I UPDATED. Finally.**

 **Yeah, I apologize, it's been a while. I had a huge writer's block, but I've been trying to at least write a sentence each day. I have the main events planned out, I guess writing a little bit of filler is hard. But the second half of this chapter progresses us a little more.**

 **I'm also writing another fanfic! It's just a little thing I can indulge in, it's for fun, really. A haikyuu! kpop au, it's called KARASUNO Project. Read it... if you're interested in that stuff... Ye**


End file.
